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Motorola Mobility Chief Executive Sanjay Jha said he is planning a healthy product lineup including a pair of tablets and two 4G LTE smartphones in the second half.
Bonnie Cha/CNET
Among other products, the company is planning to introduce its much-delayed Droid Bionic in September, Jha told CNET in an interview. After an unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show, the 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon Wireless was delayed for several months to work out the kinks of its 4G connection. In addition, it is planning at least one more 4G LTE smartphone this year.
Jha said he is planning on two tablets, another 10-inch version and a smaller one. They will be sold both through a carrier and at retail chains.
“You’ll like the look of the tablet,” he said. “The consumer and carrier feedback has been positive.”
Motorola is making up for lost time as the company deals with increasing Android competition from the likes of HTC and Samsung Electronics. In addition, it is readying itself for the launch of the next iPhone from Apple, widely expected to come in September. But rather than shy away from competition, Jha said he takes it head on.
“We want to compete,” Jha said. “We think we have competitive products in the marketplace, and we’ve got good design wins in the U.S.”
Motorola’s second-quarter results and forecast backs up his confidence. The company is calling for little profit in the third quarter, but a large jump in the fourth quarter, suggesting a large product lineup and carrier support in the period.
Jha said he is working to ensure his tablets stand out from the rest of the pack. For the tablets, he said the company would work to differentiate by improving the experience of watching media, browsing the Internet, and using enterprise applications.
Motorola said it shipped 440,000 tablets in the second quarter, a marked improvement from the 250,000 tablets sold in the period. He said the Xoom has been “a mixed story” for the company, with margins lower because of so many alternative products, particularly the Apple iPad. He added that sell-through, or the rate at which consumers buy the product, has been good. The company saw stronger sales once it lowered its price, and Jha said he has been working to lower the cost structure to remain competitive.
